Abstract

ORTEGA, Francisco  and  ZORZANELLI, Rafaela. Neuroimaging and the case of chronic fatigue syndrome. Ciênc. saúde coletiva [online]. 2011, vol.16, n.4, pp. 2123-2132. ISSN 1413-8123.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1413-81232011000400012.

This article analyzes the use of neuroimaging in research into chronic fatigue syndrome. It reviews some works published in the 1990s and investigates a specific aspect of these studies, namely the search for a cerebral abnormality, in the form of an altered activation pattern, which could provide a pattern for diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The understanding of chronic fatigue syndrome as a disease reduced to some cerebral findings is analyzed, arguing in favor of a broader vision of this disease that includes psychosocial elements of the patient's life as opposed to entirely somatic explanations.

Keywords : Chronic fatigue syndrome; Psychosocial factors; Neuroimaging.